Top Ten High School To NBA Busts

There are many people to thank for last year's exciting NCAA basketball season. Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators. Anthony Grant and the VCU Rams. And most certainly last year's two biggest stars, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, deserve a great deal of the credit for providing basketball fans with compelling performances all season long. There is another group of people that might not come to mind right away however, that are most responsible for last year's great college basketball season: the high school to NBA busts.

The reinvigoration of college basketball last season can be directly credited to the new NBA rule barring players from entering the NBA Draft until they are at least one year out of high school. Without this rule players such as Oden, Durant, Brandan Wright, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes might never have stepped foot on a college campus. The rule was enacted not only to protect players from making rash choices, but also to protect NBA teams from the catastrophic draft busts that occurred in the years between the 1995 and 2005 NBA Drafts. So here are the top ten men you can thank for allowing you to see one glorious season of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in college:

10. C.J. Miles: 2005, 34th pick by the Utah Jazz
Analysis: Miles is a bit of an interesting case in that before the draft he declared that he was not hiring an agent and would go to college at Texas if he was not picked in the first round. So why did the Jazz pick him at #34 in the second round? To borrow from the Corleones, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. The Jazz gave Miles a two year guaranteed contract, which is not required for a second round pick. The Jazz didn't get much for their investment however, as Miles has only averaged 3 PPG in limited action.

9. Ricky Sanchez: 2005, 35th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers
Analysis: Ricky who? Drafted the pick after Miles in the 2005 draft, Sanchez was traded on draft day to the Nuggets for Jarrett Jack. (Bet the Nuggets would take that one back if they could) The biggest distinction Sanchez has had in his career may well be that at the time he was only the fourth Puerto Rican player to be taken in the NBA draft. Since the draft the closest Sanchez has come to the NBA was a mediocre stint in the NBDL and has actually spent a nearly equal amount of time in the CBA. Ouch.

8. James Lang: 2003, 48th pick by the New Orleans Hornets
Analysis: The biggest indicator of Lang's bust status? He was drafted in 2003 yet he did not see his first NBA game action until 2006...for a different team than the one that drafted him. When he was originally drafted by the Hornets GM Bob Bass cut him along with the parting words that Lang lacked "the potential to be put on the active roster". Since that time Lang has signed with the Wizards and ballooned up to 305 pounds.

7. Korleone Young: 1998, 40th pick by the Detroit Pistons
Analysis: When your high school coach describes your decision to declare for the NBA draft as "a total surprise", more often than not that is a bad sign. Nonetheless the Pistons used the 40th pick on Young, and their payback has been nonexistent. Young appeared in only three games for the Pistons and has since played in Canada, Australia, China, Russia, Israel, and Italy.

6. Ndudi Ebi: 2003, 26th pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Analysis: Ebi was an intriguing shot blocking prospect when he came out in 2003 and to this day he is still just that, a shot blocking prospect. The sting of the Ebi pick is amplified by the fact that it was the Wolves first selection in the first round after the Joe Smith debacle that cost them five picks. Ebi appeared in only 19 games for the Wolves and has since signed with the Mavs, who may be hoping to pull off a reclamation project similar to the one they were able to pull off with former high school to NBA flop DeSagana Diop.

5. Kwame Brown: 2001, 1st pick by the Washington Wizards
Analysis: Brown holds the distinction as the first high schooler to be picked first overall and to this day that is arguably still the biggest milestone in his career. Brown was never able to fulfill his promise with the Wizards as he feuded with teammates more than he made an impact on the court. The crowds in Washington also turned against Brown, to the point where the Wizards even produced a video telling fans not to boo Brown when he entered the game. Brown's tenure in Wasington reached its crescendo when he threatened to punch Gilbert Arenas and then skipped a practice, resulting in Brown being suspended for the rest of the playoffs. Brown was then traded to the Lakers for eventual All-Star Caron Butler and has since proceeded to lose the starting center position to fellow prep to pro Andrew Bynum.

4. Darius Miles: 2000, 3rd pick by the Los Angeles Clippers
Analysis: Miles was set to go to St. Johns out of high school before he failed to score high enough on the SAT to become eligible. His appeal was very high at the time, mainly because teams were trying to find the "Next Kevin Garnett" and Miles combination of size, length, and passing skills reminded GMs of the Wolves star. Since entering the league Miles has been bounced around, being traded from the Clippers to the Cavs and then from the Cavs to the Blazers. At each stop Miles has flashed the potential that earned him the #3 pick, but has never been able to produce consistently for an entire season. Miles missed the entirety of this past season after having microfracture surgery, and in six seasons has only averaged 10.6 PPG.

3. Sebastian Telfair: 2004, 13th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers
Analysis: Telfair came into the league with a great deal of hype, and many observers expected Telfair to become the Blazers starting point guard right away. Telfair struggled however, and found himself falling behind the likes of Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, and Nick Van Exel on the depth chart. Telfair's on court struggles were compounded by an incident during the 2006 season where a handgun was found in his pillowcase on the Blazers' team plane. After his second season in Portland Telfair was traded to the Celtics and did not perform any better on the court as he fell behind Delonte West and Rajon Rando on the Celtics depth chart. Near the end of the season Telfair again found himself in trouble with guns when he was found with a loaded pistol in his car at a traffic stop. After the two gun incidents and three years of poor performance on the court Telfair's career in the NBA may well be over.

2. Jonathan Bender: 1999, 5th pick by the Toronto Raptors
Analysis: Bender, like Darius Miles, was drafted mainly because of his similarities to Kevin Garnett. He was traded on draft day to the Pacers for Antonio Davis and never performed anywhere near expectations in his seven seasons with the team. Bender was plagued by a right knee injury throughout his career, to the point where he was only able to play a total of nine games in his final two seasons. Bender announced his retirement in 2006, ending a career in which he never scored more than 7.4 PPG in any season.

1. Leon Smith:1999, 29th pick by the San Antonio Spurs
Analysis: Smith may have single-handedly done more to convince the league that it needed an age limit than any other player. After being drafted by the Spurs he was traded to Dallas, and then the trouble began. Smith clashed with coaches over his development, refusing to go overseas or the NBDL. Then on November 14th he attempted suicide by swallowing 250 aspirin. He was then arrested twice during his rookie year, with one incident involving threatening a woman with a gun. By February the Mavericks had bought out his contract and in the years since Smith has attempted to get back into the NBA, seeing limited action with the Hawks and Sonics.